


A Tragic Start

by TheAmeriFin



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Gen, Minor Blood Mention, Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:47:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25563829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAmeriFin/pseuds/TheAmeriFin
Summary: By the time they had gotten there, the village was overrun. The terrified screams of people, defenseless and trapped, rang through the village until one by one, they were silenced.A look at Mozu's paralogue of the same name and how a village girl survived a massacre and joined Corrin's army.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	A Tragic Start

By the time they had gotten there, the village was overrun. The terrified screams of people, defenseless and trapped, rang through the village until one by one, they were silenced. 

Corrin felt sick. She wished they had gotten there sooner, but there was no time to stand around and regret. There could still be survivors around the village, and she refused to leave them to die. 

The Faceless were relentless. Ahead of Corrin’s army stood a mass of hulking green monstrosities that groaned and hissed as they took notice of the humans. Each monster was a soulless husk that knew only how to kill and destroy until nothing was left. Or until they themselves had been returned to the earth. It would not be an easy battle. 

At the perimeter of the village, a young girl, no more than 18, felt her knees give way as she hid amongst the trees. She sobbed openly and clung to a flimsy bronze naginata. The distant screams of those monsters rung in her ears. 

She struggled back to her feet as the sounds of a fight drew closer. The brush nearby started to shift and she squeaked in terror, hardly able to keep her weapon pointed in the direction of the noise. A young woman with long white hair broke through the bushes, pausing when she saw the trembling girl ahead. 

“I’m here to help! My name is Corrin,” the princess called out, sheathing her sword and approaching slowly. “Are you okay?”

“N-No…! My v-village...m-my mother…!” she managed out before dissolving back into sobs.

“I’m so sorry,” Corrin’s heart ached in empathy. They had been too late to save everyone, but that just meant that they had to work even harder to save the ones that still remained. She placed an arm on the girl’s shoulder in a gesture she hoped was confident and reassuring.  
“We’re going to defeat those monsters,” Corrin pulled back, but paused when the brunette held onto her wrist. “What’s your name?”

“Mozu…” the brunette hiccupped.

“There's no time to grieve right now, Mozu,” the princess wrapped Mozu’s hands around the bronze naginata. “Stay behind me. I'll keep you safe.”  
Mozu looked down at the weapon, then through the trees in the direction of her village. As her grip tightened, her resolve steeled. “No, I have to fight!”

“Are you sure?”

“S-Surely am!” she said, hoping the stutter wouldn’t be seen as a sign of hesitance or weakness. 

Corrin nodded, “Stay close to me.”  
The first Faceless they battled was a horrifying experience. Seeing one of the monsters up close, Mozu’s hands were shaking so hard that her aim was more often than not off target. It was the noise that was the worst part. The monsters breathed heavily and emitted a near unbearable growling noise despite not having a visible mouth. But Corrin made sure to stand between Mozu and the monsters, strange golden sword in hand. 

As scared as she was, each successful hit and subsequent defeat of the creatures gave her just a little more courage. Mozu wasn’t just doing this for herself. She was doing it for everyone those monsters had taken from her. No matter what, they had to succeed. 

Corrin had her back turned, focused on fighting off yet another Faceless, unable to see the second one heading in her direction. There was no time to think. Mozu let out a loud scream that she hoped sounded like a battle cry, then charged forward. The Faceless drew back one arm, more than ready to bring it down and crush her bones. She closed her eyes and thrust the naginata forward with another fierce cry as Corrin turned and shouted.

“Mozu-!”

To her surprise, the pain never came, though something wet was on her hands. Was she dead? she wondered. Mozu hesitantly opened her eyes. There, at the end of her spear, the monster stood limp. The tip of the weapon had been buried into its chest, with its nearly black blood trickling down to her hand and arm. She managed to tug the naginata free, staring down at the dark liquid as Corrin came into view. 

“Are you hurt?” 

“No, I… I did it!” Mozu exhaled, then started to laugh in triumph. She could see more fighting up ahead. The pair were close to rejoining the rest of the group.

They took the village back slowly, house by house, felling each of the roaring beasts one by one. By the time the army was finished, at least a dozen Faceless corpses remained still in the area. Everything was eerily calm. The quiet felt unnatural- where there should have been the laughter or cries of children and the lull of conversation from adults, there was simply… nothing. 

Mozu could hardly stand the silence, but she found her way back to Corrin’s army on the outskirts of the village. A man with light gray hair spoke quietly with the princess but paused when he saw Mozu approach. He didn’t move from Corrin’s side, though when she turned, her eyes softened considerably.

“Mozu… I’m so sorry about your mother. Do you have any family near here? We’d be glad to take you to them.”

The brunette shook her head. “There’s no one. I couldn’t even start over here by myself,” her voice soft, she gestured around the area. “All the homes, the fields… it’s all destroyed. Everyone I called family is dead now.”

Corrin looked to the man next to her and whispered something Mozu couldn’t catch. He bowed at the waist and departed past the crowd before disappearing. Mozu watched him go, studying his clothes and the swift, proper way he walked. They might not’ve had any fancy people in her village, but she knew a butler when she saw one. She wondered what that made Corrin- to have a butler or maid waiting on you must mean you’re someone important, right? Mozu turned back to the person in question.

“If you have nowhere to go, we’ll take you in. We can’t replace all that you’ve lost. But we’ll take care of you, at least until we find you a safe place to call home,” Corrin said. “Jakob will be looking around for other villages in the meantime.” 

“That’s mighty kind of you,” the villager replied, “but you don’t need to worry about me. I’d like to join your cause, whatever it is. I can help.”

Rather than give an immediate answer, Corrin looked over the girl. It was starting to make Mozu nervous, like she would be rejected, but then Corrin turned away and reached into the convoy nearby. When she returned, she held out a well-strung yumi made of iron and wood. “I want you to have this,

Mozu held it carefully, brushing her thumb against the string as Corrin continued.  
“Do you know how to hunt with a bow?”  
“Sure do. I’m”- she paused, aiming her gaze at the ground- “I was one of the best hunters in this village. Good at trapping, too.”  
“I think you’ll really shine with those skills. And it’ll give me some peace of mind if you’re farther away from the enemies,” the princess laughed tiredly. “You were quite a sight, taking on that Faceless by yourself, but I don’t think either of us want a repeat of that.”  
Mozu couldn’t help but laugh quietly too. Something about Corrin’s smile was infectious, even if they were both tired and sweating. And maybe…

Maybe her mother was watching over her now. She would do her best and live on for everyone she had lost. It didn’t have to be the end of everything. It could be a start, even if tragic, to something new.

**Author's Note:**

> This draft had been in my files for a while, even before FE3H came out. I decided to polish it up a bit and finish it, because even though I'm not a huge fan of Fates, I do like the idea and potential of what the games could've been. That being said, I might do more writing for Fates in the future. There's a lot that can be explored in some of the characters.


End file.
